Friends and Enemies
by EbonyDraygon
Summary: On a return mission to a planet, the team get caught up in the ongoing struggle between the ruling govrnment and the criminal Guilds. But choosing sides isn't as easiy as they first thought. Rated T for safety, and possible later content.
1. Welcome Committee

Chapter 1: Welcome Committee

"_Pull the hoods"_

Sheppard was temporarily blinded as the dark hood was removed. A sound behind him indicated that the hoods were being pulled off the rest of his team. Sheppard blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his temporary blindness. He started to make out the black shapes of people lining the room. They all seemed to be carrying weapons of varying shapes and sizes. That made escape an unhealthy option, so he'd have to rely on diplomacy instead. A figure stood in front of him, a young woman in her mid-twenties, and, oh boy, she did not look happy to see him. She appeared to be snarling at him (why were women always unhappy with him?) and brandishing four pendant-beacons at him.

"Where did you get these?" she hissed, "Who gave them to you?"

"Answer me!" she snarled, hitting John across the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

"We were given them on our last visit here!" Teyla. That was Teyla's voice. Sheppard struggled sit up, his hands still tied behind him. "We were told that if we ever returned to this planet, those talismans would grant us safe passage."

The woman leaned closer to Teyla. "Who was it that gave you the mark of this Guild? Describe them!" She raised her hand, about to strike Teyla as she had him.

"Now, Nerisha. Is that anyway to treat guests?"

The speaker stepped into the light. He was big and his body silhouetted against the light. Sheppard recognized the stance and walk. A trained fighter. He was flanked by two similarly trained individuals. A woman and a wraith. Sheppard recognized the speaker almost immediately. The guy was a the same one that they had met on their first visit to M3X-445. The same leader of a bunch of what he had believed to be freedom fighters that had freed them and several others from the slave pits. Seems he'd got that one wrong. They were more likely mercenaries, given the new evidence. The woman, Nerisha, turned to him, her eyes narrowed.

"What's the meaning of this, Genik? Mutiny?"

Genik took a knife and cut Sheppard's bonds and helped him to rise. His cronies were doing the same for the others.

"Hardly. You were at the Court of the King at the time, so I could hardly ask for your consent." He raised his hand as she opened her mouth to speak, "And don't blame Siric either. I stunned him before I left on my little 'rescue mission'. He didn't have anything to do with it."

Nerisha paused, then grinned whilst shaking her head. At least she didn't seem to be angry any more. "Poor thing. That can't have been much fun."

"I'll live with it." said Genik quietly. He took Sheppard by the shoulder and wheeled him out, "Come, you need some fresh air."

"Wait-" Sheppard started, but his guide didn't stop.

"Your friends will be taken care of, do not fear." He glanced down at Sheppard as they continued up through dark corridors, "Nish…Nerisha, has a fiery temper but at least it is short-lived. She's a good friend when you get to know her."

Sheppard was led into a sunlit courtyard. What staggered him most was the age of all its occupants. The oldest person there couldn't have been older than his late twenties (not counting the wraith that were present). He got the strong sense of déjà vué. The last time he had seen so many young people together had been the kid planet. His escort must have noticed his unease.

"Most are orphans, " he said, looking around, "or ex-slaves." He rubbed a tattoo on his neck. Genik looked back down at Sheppard. Yep, even though he was probably a good ten or fifteen years younger than the Lt. Colonel, Sheppard was dwarfed by the guy. Things like that tend to bug you after a while "Come let us find your team-mates. They will have been taken to your accommodation."

They walked on. As they past through another doorway, Genik indicated a spiral stairway.

"Your rooms are up there." Genik turned to Sheppard, and smiled warmly, "It is good to see you again, John Sheppard."

John returned the smile, "Yeah, big guy. Good to see you too."

Genik walked off, leaving Sheppard to climb the stairs alone. At the top was a landing with two doors. He pushed one open and saw Ronon and Teyla seated on the beds inside. Ronon jumped up almost as soon as he saw Sheppard.

"Where's McKay?" he asked.

Sheppard's brows furrowed. "Isn't he with you guys?"

"The woman, Nerisha, made him remain with her after we left." informed Teyla, her face worried, "We believed that he may have been taken to you."

Sheppard cursed. He'd been pleased to see Genik again. Now it looked like their trust in him and his 'friends' was misplaced. A clunk made him turn. The door had shut behind him, and there was the sound of footsteps going down the staircase. Trying the door handle, he found it was locked. They were trapped.


	2. Master Of Secrets

"Si-ric! You in?"

Nerisha's voice was light and musical, but with an undertone of unease, which worried Rodney even more. If she was apprehensive about something down here, it meant he should be terrified. Nerisha had led him down dark, creepy corridors with her nails steadily digging into his shoulder. Finally, she had stopped him outside a darkened room. Rodney's imagination went into overdrive. She was going to torture him for information on Atlantis. Argh! Probably with strange and horrific means. Argh! Or wraith! There were lots of them around and they all seemed to obey her. She was going to use a wraith on him, just like Koyla did to Sheppard. Argh!

"What?" The voice was harsh. Rodney couldn't see its owner, probably the resident torturer.

"Now, Siric," lilted Nerisha, dragging Rodney into the darkened room, "I brought you some presents. Least you could do is be nice."

There was a growl and, oh crap, there was defiantly a wraith in the room. Rodney tried to dig his heels into the floor, but his body wasn't responding. Now he could see it, silhouetted against the dim light of several monitor screens. It turned towards them, its face shadowed by the large hood of its robe.

"Why have you brought me a human?" growled the wraith, Siric, not that Rodney was going to think of him as anything other than a big scary life-sucking monster. The wraith growled again. Oh crap, it must have read his mind! Could it do that? Was it only able to read his thoughts or could it see right inside his head? Would it be able to just pull the information it wanted right out of his head. Rodney tried to think of pink elephants in order to screen his thoughts.

"You think very loudly for a human," the wraith said, making Nerisha chuckle. The wraith sighed, "You implied multiple items?"

Nerisha went over to the cluttered table in the middle of the room and upended a bag she had been carrying. Out fell all of their kit and everything else the team had been carrying, including Rodney noticed, Ronon's beloved gun. He sidled alongside the table, hoping that he could get to it (not that it would be much use, he was a terribly shot, not that he would admit that), then stopped as he saw the wraith examining the objects. It wasn't just the close presence of the wraith that stopped him, it was its appearance.

It was holding up one of the guns awkwardly and Rodney saw why.

Its right arm was withered.

It put down the gun and picked up a scanner, turning it over while Rodney stood there paralyzed. What had happened to it? Could it still feed? If not, how the heck wasn't it dead from starvation yet? It turned to Rodney, brandishing the scanner, snapping him out of his trance.

"This, "it hissed at him, "is Lantian."

"Umm," Rodney wasn't sure how to reply to the snarling wraith, "yeah?"

"Where did you find it?" the wraith snapped. Rodney took a step back. Just his luck to get trapped with a psychotic starved wraith. In his retreat, Rodney fell onto a couch-cum-bed thing. Oh great, now he was _really_ trapped. The wraith snarled again.

"Siric!"

The wraith turned. Rodney had completely forgotten about Nerisha. She was standing close to them, her face a mix of disapproval and anxiety.

"I brought ," she glanced down at something written on her hand, "Dr Rodney McKay to you because he's a," she read another word off her hand, "sigh-en-tist, not a play-thing for you to break."

The wraith snorted and returned to the table. Rodney got up slowly. He didn't like the idea of being some sort of – he didn't know what, but he didn't like it. The wraith sighed heavily, leaning on the table.

"Alright," it said wearily, "I shall find some use for it."

"That's better." smiled Nerisha, "Can't have my Whisper-Master breaking every new informant I bring you. Not yet anyway."

Rodney gulped at this last statement. He didn't like the implications. Nerisha headed towards the door.

"I'll be back later, got to go talk to some other guests." She winked at the two of them, "Play nicely now." The door shut behind her with an ominous groan.

He was trapped.

Rodney almost shrieked as the wraith came up behind him. Did the wraith have no concept of personal space? He turned to it and his eyes widened.

It wasn't just the wraith's arm that was damaged. The whole right side of its face was traced out in withered scars.

"I suppose I must find you something to do." he grumbled, "Try to keep out of my way."

"Okay," Rodney replied, inwardly cringing at how high his voice was.

The wraith smiled, not a pretty sight on a healthy wraith, but on this one it had an extra layer of menace.

I'm doomed, he thought.

"Not yet, Dr McKay. Not yet."


	3. Explinations and more Questions

"Ronon, will you knock it off? The door isn't gonna budge."

Ronon grunted, ignoring Sheppard's advice and continued to ram his weight into the solid door. The guy seemed to be treating the whole thing like it was Sheppard's fault. Hell, in some ways it was. He had persuaded Elizabeth to allow his team to return to M3X-445, even though they now knew that the planet didn't have a DHD. He had persuaded Ronon to come along, even though they both knew that their mutual 'friend' Genik not only worked alongside wraith, but John had a sneaking suspicion that he was also a wraith worshiper. A fact that had not been lost on Ronon.

The Satedan turned on Sheppard with a growl.

"So? We have to get out and find McKay, before he's forced to give away Atlantis."

"Okay, even if they did get the location of Atlantis, a fat lot of good it's gonna do them," retorted Sheppard, "There's no DHD on this planet, remember? And we couldn't take a Jumper through, because you know as well as I do, we'd crash into a cliff as soon as we left the event horizon." He sat on one of the beds as Ronon started pacing the room, "All we gotta do is wait for the Deadalus to come by and pick us up. Just like last time."

"The Deadeuls will not be here for three days," Teyla pointed out, "We may not have that time."

"Cosy in here, isn't it?"

All three turned to the speaker, a lithe young woman in her late teens, who stood in the now open doorway. She hadn't made a sound as she entered. Sheppard only just remembered who she was, when Ronon dived towards her, in an attempt to tackle her out of the way. The woman, (Chiss, that was her name) crouched low and swung her leg up and round, catching Ronon in the stomach. He doubled over, and Chiss brought the point of her elbow down hard on his back. Ronon fell to the floor, doubled over in pain. She crouched down next to him, a grin plastered across her face.

"Nice to see you too, big guy. I thought you learnt your lesson the last time I pummelled you." Ronon's only response was a groan as he tried to rise. Chiss straightened up and looked at Teyla and Sheppard. "Nish wants to see you now. I wouldn't keep her waiting." She turned and headed down the stair case, leaving them to help the grumbling Ronon.

Following Chiss proved easier when Ronon recovered enough to be able to walk on his own. He fell back to walk with Teyla, glaring at anyone in view. Sheppard decided to make small-talk with their guide. To look at, you would never have suspected that an dainty little person like Chiss could successfully take down a guy like Ronon, but she had proved herself several times. She also had a constant little grin at the corner of her mouth. Hard to think that she was a could-blooded killer. At least it proved you couldn't judge a book by it's cover.

She was the first to break the uneasy silence between them. "Is it true that you have a way out of here?"

Sheppard was uncertain how much he wanted to give away. Sure, a few hours ago, he'd have been more than happy to relocate his friends on this world. Now though…

"I sometimes dream about leaving this planet, going home." She said wistfully, "Not there would be anything to go home to. Slavers made sure of that. Made it look like wraith had done it."

Sheppard started to think of all the worlds that had encountered that they thought had been destroyed by the wraith. Were they really victims of the wraith, or had they been captured by these slavers, probably the same ones that had captured his team on their last visit. Something suddenly stood out in his mind.

"Wait a minute," he said, "You saying these slavers go to other worlds?"

"I just said that didn't I? Through here." She lead them into another passage way. This place was a virtual rabbit-warren!

"So how do they get off-world?"

Chiss shrugged as she walked on. "Haven't a clue. Here we are."

She had stopped outside a large door. On it was a symbol that Sheppard recognized as the same one that had been on the pendants Genik had given the team. "Take these," he had said, "and if you ever return, they will grant you safety passage and shelter." Thanks a bunch, Genik! Really feeling safe right now.

"The mark of the Guild." said Chiss reverently, stroking the design, "This is the Guild of the Ancestor's Gate. More commonly known as the whisper-hive." She smiled to herself, "I find it hard to believe I used to be scared of the wraith."

"There is still a galaxy that lives in fear of the cullings," Teyla responded coolly, "not all are able live without fearing the wraith."

"My planet was culled too," snapped Chiss, "I'm also not blind. I can see that Ronon is runner as well as the next person." She smiled ruefully at their expressions, "Oh, come on! Did you think he was the only runner to make it through the gate? I know at least five runners, and what's more, two of them are wraith."

"Wraith runners?" Sheppard asked incredulously, "Wraith make other wraith runners?"

"Did you think it was something exclusive to us humans?" questioned Chiss. She rapped smartly on the door.

"Come on, time to go and see Nerisha." Chiss grinned at them, "I'm glad I don't have to report to her. She can get quite scary when she wants. I'll wait outside, so I can take you back after she's finished with you."

As the door opened with a great grinding of hinges, and the remaining team members entered the room beyond, Chiss waved to them cheerily.

"It was nice knowing you!"

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has** **reviewed this so far. Please continue to do so. **

**Next chapter: Lady of the Court**


	4. Lady of the Court

**Chapter 4: Lady of the Court**

The room they entered reminded Sheppard of pictures he'd seen of a medieval great hall. Long tables formed a horseshoe shape around the walls, with a mixture of chairs and benches lining them. At the far end of the hall was a raised dais, on which were three chairs. The middle chair was raised higher than the two beside it. Seated upon it was Nerisha, looking for all the world like a contented cat. On her right was Genik, looking uncomfortable in his slightly too small chair. The chair on the left was empty.

Nerisha looked over the team with a critical eye. She leaned down to say something into Genik's patient ear. It appeared that what ever she had to say was amusing because soon both were chuckling. This proved too much for Ronon. He strode towards the dais, only to be stopped by two guards.

"Where's McKay?" shouted Ronon, the whole hall staring at him.

"Don't you worry about the good doctor." Nerisha answered, her eyes dancing with pleasure at Ronon's display, "He's safe. That is, if he knows his place and keeps his tongue behind his teeth."

"Not likely!"

There was a bellow of laughter from a table behind Sheppard. Turning, he saw that he recognized many of the people, and even wraith, sitting there from the first visit. At any other time, Sheppard would have joined them in their mocking of McKay, but he no longer felt in the mood.

"We want to see him," Sheppard demanded.

Nerisha looked at him quizzically. "And why should I do as you say? Here, I am in charge." She rose from her seat, "I am Lady of the Court of the King, the representative of this Guild. I am Leader of the Elites and I am damn good at what I do." She stopped in front of Sheppard, "So I say again: Why should I do what you want?"

Sheppard had only one trump card to play, but he wasn't willing to reveal it just yet. Instead, it was Teyla who played their ace in the hole.

"We have a way off this world."

There was a sudden muttering all around the hall. It looked like the idea was a winner.

"Thanks a bunch, Teyla." Sheppard whispered to her, "and how do expect Caldwell is going to take this?"

Teyla looked back a Sheppard stoically, "It is all we have to trade with. I did not believe you would be willing to trade C4 with them."

Okay, that last remark stung. He didn't need to be reminded of their disastrous first encounter with the Genii. Back in the here and now, Nerisha appeared to be torn by Teyla's offer.

"Quiet!" An immediate hush descended on the chamber. Nerisha looked at Sheppard and he noticed that she was chewing her lower lip. Looked like she was really tempted by the prospect of leaving as much as the others were.

"Someone go to the Whisper Master and tell him I want his hide up here now. And McKay and he had better not be broken." She addressed the room in general. No-one moved, instead they all looked nervously at one another as if daring someone else to go.

"Now!"

Two individuals, a man and a wraith, fled the chamber at Nerisha's shout. She returned to her seat, still chewing her lip. A quick nod at the guards and Ronon was allowed to rise off the floor and rejoin his companions.

"I was born and bred on this world. Never even left the city." Nerisha seemed to be speaking as much to herself as to the team, "The idea of travelling to other worlds just always seemed like tales told to children to me. I know others weren't so lucky." She looked around the hall steadily, her eyes filled with sadness as she met certain individuals' gaze, "It's certainly an interesting proposal. If it's true."

"Why am I summoned away from my work?"

The doors opened as someone wearing a hooded robe entered, followed closely by –

"Rodney!" Sheppard called out. The scientist looked up at the sound of his name and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Sheppard! You're all right! Are the others –" he noticed Teyla and Ronon, "You're all okay!"

"What ever made you think that we were going to hurt them?" Nerisha purred as the hooded figure took the vacant seat on her left. A gasp from Teyla and a growl from Ronon made Sheppard look closer at the new-comer. He – _it _– was a wraith. A horrifically injured and deformed wraith, but still a wraith. From the way Nerisha addressed it and how reluctant her people had been in delivering her summons, Sheppard could see that it was not someone to trifle with. The three of them were deep in discussion. About them? About their proposal? Sheppard wasn't sure, but whatever they were talking about, he wished they would hurry it up because his legs were going to sleep. He didn't want to fall down, because the present company looked as though they'd laugh. A lot. And that would do nothing for his reputation in the galaxy.

Nerisha stood up, raising her hand to call for quiet. Genik and the wraith rose from their seats to stand behind her.

"Here me, people of the Guild of the Ancestor's Gate. As the Lady of the Court of the King and his representative here, I allow Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Doctor Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex to join our Guild. They are of great skill and wisdom. Does anyone challenge this decision?"

The room was silent, but Sheppard's brain was screaming. Join?! When had that been decided? Were they going to let them leave or had he condemned his team to be trapped on this world for good?

"No objection? Then it is final. Welcome to the Guild, my friends," Nerisha smiled warmly at the team, "Hope you survive long enough."

* * *

**Thanks for the reivews, please keep 'em coming!**

**Next chapter: Learning the Ropes**


	5. Learning the Ropes

**Chapter 5: Learning the Ropes**

The meeting was over. People started to leave their tables and move off through the doors or down side corridors. Sheppard and his team were left standing in the middle of the hall. What were they meant to do now? Sheppard looked around and saw Nerisha, Genik and the wraith she had called Siric descend from the dais and move over to one of the recently vacated tables. People came over with scrolls and books which Nerisha started to lay out on the table. After everything had been set out to her satisfaction, Nerisha looked up and beckoned the team over. For lack of anything better to do, Sheppard and the others went over to her.

"Thought you might want a little history lesson, now your members of the Guild." Nerisha said when they arrived.

"About that," Sheppard began only to be stopped by Nerisha raising her hand.

"Formality." She replied, "Means that you get certain privileges and anything you have to offer will be considered fairly."

She spread a map of the city out over the table, "Now, there are nine Guilds in total and each controls a certain district." She pointed to a symbol on the map that matched the symbol that apparently belonged to this Guild, a double banded ring with eight lines shooting out from the centre, "This is the location of our Guild, the Ancestor's Gate and we control this district," she traced a rough palm-sized oval on the map with her finger. "The other Guilds are the Slavers Choice, Golden Way, Highbourgh, Lowbourgh, Deserts Guard, Mountains Height, Traders Way and The Ruins." Nerisha pointed to each one in turn, indicating the different Guild symbols on the map.

John snuck a glance at the others as Nerisha continued to talk about the Guild system. Teyla was making a good attempt to look interested, Rodney made no effort to hide his boredom and Ronon was glaring daggers at Genik and the wraith, Siric. Nerisha must have noticed.

"Not boring you am I?" she said with mild amusement as Rodney yawned, "Well if that's the case, we'll put you into factions and then you can do what you like."

"Factions?" queried Teyla.

"Each Guild is split into three factions," Genik said, "Elites, Fatals and Whispers."

"And the difference is?"

Genik smiled, "Whisperers gather information by any means necessary, Elites are masters of theft and deception and Fatals deal with the more… messy jobs." Genik looked pensive for a moment, "Gods, I make us sound like cleaners."

"Well you are, sort of," Nerisha laughed, "So. Any preferences? If you don't want to choose, I'll pick for you."

Sheppard and the team stayed silent. Nerisha soon became impatient.

"Okay, I'll pick! Dr McKay, will join the Whisperers. That alright by you, Siric?" The wraith shrugged his shoulders and Rodney gulped, "Ronon, you can join the Fatals. Genik told me how much you liked shooting stuff." Ronon merely intensified his glare at Genik, "And Teyla and Sheppy can join the Elites."

Nerisha looked over the faces of the team, "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

***

Ronon had insisted on getting his gun back, so Rodney felt a little better about following the wraith down to its lair. Nerisha had made it clear to the wraith that Rodney wasn't to be broken 'much' and only if he got really annoying.

Rodney wasn't sure how long he was going to last.

When they arrived, Ronon went straight to the table and began retrieving his equipment. Siric hissed, before limping over to one of the computer terminals. Rodney was still trying to get over the fact that this wraith was probably quite badly injured, but didn't seem to do anything about it. A young woman entered from a concealed passage and bowed slightly to the wraith before giving him a sheaf of notes. Then she turned to Rodney and Ronon.

"Oh! You must be those that returned from another world." She bowed to them, "I am Jasieen. I am the Whisper Master's second-in-command. Come with me."

Reluctantly, the two men followed the woman out of the lab and down a dingy corridor. The room they were led to was lit by soothing lights and there were cushions on the floor.

"Please, sit." Jasieen asked before settling down herself.

Rodney and Ronon complied, if only because they didn't have a reason not to.

"Which one of you is Rodney McKay?" She asked. Rodney raised his hand tentatively, "Oh good, I am sure you have many questions that I hope I can answer."

"Um, yeah," Rodney said, before ploughing on with a query that had been bothering him, "what's with that wraith? I got the fact that its in charge of this 'faction' but what happened to it. How did it-" Rodney shut up as Ronon elbowed him hard in the ribs. Jasieen looked coldly at him.

"Siric is the Whisper Master of this Guild. I report directly to him. I do not know exactly what happened to him, I only know the Guild rumours."

She sighed at Rodney's inquisitive stare. "There is a plant on this world known as wither-grass. Some people call it 'wraith vine', because the effects are largely the same." Jasieen though for a moment, "Siric was made a Runner by is own kind and it was because he was running that he came into contact with a wither-grass pit. If Genik and Nerisha had not saved him, he would be dead long ago."

Jasieen sighed as she finished her recount, "That is the only logical explanation as to his crippling injuries, and why he hates Genik and Nerisha so much."

"Hates them?" Rodney blurted out, "But you just said they saved his life!" Ronon was forced to elbow Rodney again, to allow Jasieen to speak.

"That's why he hates them." The young woman answered patiently, "Because they saved him, he is forced to live crippled. That, among wraith, is considered one of the worse fates imaginable. There is nothing that anyone can do for his condition. Tell me, if you were gravely injured, would you not curse those that forced you to continue?"

Rodney wasn't sure how to answer that, or even if he wanted to. He had been quite happy to see the wraith as life-sucking evil monsters that they were gallantly ridding from the Pegasus galaxy. He didn't like having to imagine them as having feelings or feeling pain. It made them too…well, human.

"Come," Jasieen said to Rodney, "it is time that I showed you the systems. At least then you may be of some use."

* * *

**Please R&R, all comments are greatly appriciated.**

**Next chapter: Friendly Fire, coming soon-ish**


	6. Friendly Fire

**Chapter 6: Friendly Fire**

John was on edge. Nerisha had insisted that they see some of the highlights of the city and had taken him and Teyla out for a drink. They now sat in a bar that Sheppard thought would look right at home in the 18th centaury. They now sat at a dingy table as Nerisha went to the bar for drinks.

"What do you think, Teyla?" Sheppard asked, keeping his eyes on the surrounding drinkers and his hand on his P-90, that Ronon had retrieved for him.

"I do not know," replied Teyla, "If they meant us harm they would have done so by now."

"Here we are," Nerisha placed three flagons on the table in front of them, "three galaken ales, on the house."

Sheppard stared suspiciously at his drink. It looked like it could well be beer under all that foam, but he wouldn't bet money on it. Nerisha drained her drink in one go, then looked quizzically at Sheppard.

"What's the matter, Sheppy? Something wrong with your drink?" she asked wickedly. Teyla picked up her flagon and matched Nerisha's performance. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"It is alright, John," she said encouragingly, "It tastes similar to a drink the Athosians make."

Slightly relived, he took a gulp of the foamy drink. His mouth felt it was on fire and his throat burned as the liquid fire tricked down. He sat there gasping, aware of the quiet chuckles form surrounding tables.

"Do the Athosians' make moonshine?" he crocked hoarsely at Teyla, who patted him reassuringly on the back.

"There is an art to drinking galaken ale," Nerisha shrugged apologetically but her eyes were bright with mischief and mirth.

"Draft of whatever your serving for my friends."

Nerisha turned to look at the owner of the voice, and Teyla and Sheppard looked too. It was a wraith, tall and muscular, wearing a black sleeveless vest and matching pants. It was also carrying a wicked looking double-headed axe on its back. The group of men around it were leaning on the bar and joking with one another. Nerisha's face lit up with joy when she saw the wraith.

"Loken!" she cried, leaving her seat and running up to it. The wraith turned at the sound of her voice and laughed as the graceful young woman launched herself at him.

"My dear little Nish," it laughed, "When did you grow up? I don't remember giving you permission to get any taller!"

Nerisha laughed and hugged the wraith again. The rest of the men were unfazed by the sight of the young thief embracing this hulking wraith. Nerisha finally let go of the wraith and led him over to their table.

"Loken, I want you to meet Teyla and Sheppy, " she said cheerfully as she hung onto the wraith's arm, "This is Loken. He used to be a member of the Guild of the Ancestor's Gate but he moved to the Guild of Trader's Way. That before I became Guild leader, otherwise I wouldn't have let him go!" As if to prove her point, she hugged him again.

The wraith chuckled and bowed his head to them, "I am honoured to meet you. News of your arrival is already spreading through the Guild network." He looked over his shoulder to the group of men that had entered with him, "I've got us a table but we're need a few more seats though."

Two of the men stood either side of a bench, nodded to each other, picked it up and carried it over, leaving its three former occupants on the floor amid gales of laughter.

"Got your own team now, Loken?" asked Nerisha as the men settled around the table.

"Officially, I'm meant t' be this team's leader," said one of the men, with a scar down his left cheek that only just missed his eye, "but I lets Loken do most of the leadering. He's better at it." There were nods of agreement all around the table.

"If that is so, why was he not made the leader?" asked Teyla.

"The Guild of the Trader's Way has certain… opinions about wraith," Loken answered calmly, "They do not consider us fit for command."

"Can't you bring it up with your Guild's Courtier?" Nerisha inquired, "Take it up with the King?"

"We are not listened to," Loken said, shaking his head, "Do not act so surprised, little Nish. Not all the Guild's are as open-minded as others."

There was a scream from the front of the bar. A group of men in military uniform had blown the door off its hinges, injuring several innocent people who happened to get in the way.

"Everybody down!" Loken shouted as the bar became a battle scene. Many of the patrons drew concealed weapons and joined in the fray. Nerisha whistled to the barman, who threw her a long wooden quarter-staff from behind the bar. The barman opened up a back door and nodded for Sheppard to follow him.

"This way people!" Sheppard tried to direct people to the back entrance, firing his P-90 into the air to cause a distraction. He saw Teyla fending off three guards from two small children. Sheppard tried to press his way over to her, but a sudden blur that was Nerisha came to Teyla's rescue. Nerisha used her quarter-staff as an equaliser against the guards. Sheppard went back to getting as many people out of harm's way as possible.

"Colonel!" Sheppard turned to Teyla's shout. One of the guards had got in under Nerisha's guard and had struck her on the head. The thief crumpled to the ground with blood tricking down from her hair line. Teyla was once again outnumbered.

Sheppard tried to fight against the flow of panicked people but the current was carrying him away from her. One of the guards grabbed Teyla from behind and stuck some sort of needle in her neck. Immediately, her body went limp and the guards dragged her away.

"No!" cried Sheppard, firing his P-90 at the retreating figures. Loken came to his side and the big wraith saw Sheppard's target. He snarled and barked an order to two of his men nearest the door. They turned and tried to retrieve Teyla, but fell back as gunfire from outside rattled through the broken doorway. Sheppard ignored Loken's orders to stop as he charged at the men carrying the unconscious Teyla. He cracked on of them on the head and elbowed another in the throat. The third guard however, jabbed a needle into Sheppard's neck and everything went black.

* * *

**Please R&R. Reviews let me know if there's anything you want to happen in the story. Or even if you just enjoy it the way it is.**


	7. Traitor in their Midst

**Chapter 7: Traitor in their midst**

Ronon was proving himself to the other Fatals. He was doing a good job holding them off as they steadily attacked him in the combat ring. The audience that had gathered whooped and cheered their support.

"You're good," said Genik approvingly, "I'm tempted to give you a squad of your own."

"Don't bother," Ronon grunted as he grabbed the shirt of one of his new attackers and threw him into another.

"If you say so," replied Genik, shrugging off Ronon's hostility. Pulling off his coat, Genik prepared to join the fray.

"Genik!" Both men turned as two children ran up to the battle ring. Ronon stiffened when he saw one was wraith. Genik knelt down so that he could talk to the small children more easily.

"Astra, Deimos, what is the matter?"

"Guards! They got the new people!" the young girl exclaimed. The wraith boy behind her nodded vigorously. Genik looked stony faced. Standing up, he took a delicate golden ear clip from a pouch on his belt and put it on.

"Siric," he said out loud, "what's this I'm hearing about an attack? Why didn't you warn us?" Ronon saw Genik's sudden confusion and concern. "Siric? Siric, what's happening?" Genik listened in silence. Everyone was watching to see what would happen next.

"Fan the building!" Genik ordered, "No one in, no one out. You three," he pointed to Chiss, Ronon and another, "with me."

Spectators and combatants alike grabbed weapons and scattered. Ronon followed Genik as he raced through doorways and down corridors. There were sounds of fighting up ahead. Attempted to ram the door in front of him, but it wouldn't budge.

"Dex, give me a hand," he grunted. Ronon simply turned and shot the lock with his gun. Without waiting for an order, Chiss and the other man took position either side of the entrance. Genik was about to enter when the door was flung open, catching him on the side of the head and sending him crashing into the man behind him. Ronon reacted on pure instinct, raising his gun and firing at the blood-soaked young woman that charged out of the room. She spasmed as the bolt hit her, her mouth and eyes wide, before she fell to the ground.

"Quick thinking," said a strained voice from the shattered doorway. Chiss was quick to support the shaking and wounded Jasieen. She was carrying a wicked-looking knife that was slick with blood.

"What happened?" asked Chiss, gently taking the blade from Jasieen's hand.

Jasieen nodded to the unconscious woman on the ground. "Right wrist," she said, "take a look."

Ronon, as the closest, kneeled down beside the prostrate figure and carefully examined her right wrist. There was a brand there in the shape of a spiked wheel.

"The Government like us to know when they've managed to plant a traitor within our ranks," explained Jasieen. "Dr McKay noticed the traitor's mark when she was giving the Whisper-Master some reports. He didn't know what it meant, of course, but that doesn't alleviate the problem that there was a spy hidden inside the Whisper Network."

"We'll take it from here," Genik informed her. Without prompting, the man behind Genik hoisted the stunned woman onto his shoulders and he and Chiss walked back along the corridors.

"Where's McKay?" Ronon asked the blood-soaked spy.

"He fainted," replied Jasieen coolly, "after the traitor attempted to stab Siric to try and prevent he from informing you of what was happening."

Genik walked past Jasieen into the low light room. Ronon followed after the girl. He immediately noticed Rodney sitting up unsteadily on the floor.

"You okay?" he asked, helping the scientist to his feet.

"Did someone hit me?" asked Rodney blearily. "I could have sworn-"

"You merely fainted," growled Siric. He was silhouetted against the glow of a large screen. What was on the screen seemed to be making the wraith tetchy. Genik was standing next to him squinting at the screen.

"Is that-"

"It appears that our little traitor has managed to spread her influence further than we realised. I only just restore these files," replied the wraith. "Our most pressing concern now is for those in the Government's care." From the way it snarled that last sentence, it was not good news.

"Why, exactly?" asked Mckay, looking completely confused.

The wraith shot him a scornful glare. Ronon glared back at it, and it snarled.

"The reason it is of such great concern," answered Genik, "is because of the Arrangement."

"Err, yes, would you kindly explain what this "Arrangement" thing is to the new people so we can be worried too?" Mckay retorted.

"The Arrangement is the reason there are so many wraith on this world." They turned to look at Jasieen. "The Government and Slavers made a pact with a Hive Queen," continued Jasieen," for the exchange of wraith slaves for human ones. They tend to trade prisoners, mostly those of the Guilds that they can catch." She shook her head gravely. "I am afraid that is the fate that will await your friends."

Ronon's grip on his gun tightened, and Rodney went into a panic.

"Okay, this is very bad. I mean extremely bad. How long before a hive comes along to swap prisoners with you people?"

"That is what the traitor had attempted to conceal," Siric replied, turning back to the screen. "We had not believed the next exchange to be for at least another six days, but it appears that we do not have that luxury anymore."

"We have to get them back," demanded Ronon.

"You are not the only one who has lost friends to the Government," snarled Genik, "but we now simply do not have the time to plan and stage a rescue attempt."

"You're giving up without a fight," Ronon said. "If you truly had friends in there, you'd have tried to get them out before now."

It was only because Siric put himself between the two warring males that further bloodshed was avoided. Genik had drawn a concealed blade and had been about to go for Ronon.

"This is not a solution," growled the wraith, "and it will not aid your friends." He waited until Genik had sheathed the blade before continuing. "I have an idea, but you're not going to approve."

"Right now," sighed Genik, "I'm willing to accept any offers."

***

"I refuse to here this!"

"I am the most logical choice," Rodney heard Siric's voice reply calmly. "You would be able to follow the signal from the subspace tracking device –"

"You were just stabbed!"

"The traitor attempted to, but was unsuccessful in injuring me."

"Siric, I know you, and I know what you're like! You may be able to hoodwink the others into thinking you're fine, but Nish and me know you better than that. I'm not considering letting you take the risk. You are not up to it."

There was a stony silence behind the closed door before the wraith spoke again.

"Are you referring to the fact I was stabbed or my crippling injures?"

"Does it matter? Until Nish returns, I am in charge of the Guild and I'm not letting you go!"

Rodney struggled to hear the wraith's reply, the words seemed guttural and incomprehensible. There was a sudden crashing sound, as if someone had fallen to the ground. McKay back-pedalled as he heard footsteps approaching the door. Siric left the room and walked straight past Rodney. McKay took the opportunity to take a quick look inside. Genik was sprawled on the floor where he had fallen and Rodney felt himself start to panic again. That wraith was seriously starting to creep him out! He looked back around in time to see the wraith slide a dagger into a sheath under the sleeve of his cloak. Siric looked up and offered McKay a crooked smile.

"Just tell Nerisha that Genik needs the secondary trigger, when she gets back," it said. Rodney nodded nervously, not really understanding what the wraith was on about.

"Sure, fine, whatever you say," he garbled. "Err… where are you going?" he asked bluntly, just as Siric opened the door to leave.

"To get annoy the Government and help your friends," he replied.

And with that, he was gone, leaving Rodney alone and confused in the Whisper-Master's lair.

* * *

**My apologies for the slight hiatus. Life's been a bit busy and the other stories were more demanding...**

**Please R&R, I like to know what others think**


	8. Guests of the Government

**Chapter 8: Guests of the Government**

Sheppard was really starting to hate prisons. Sure, they were never really nice to start off with, but it was getting to be annoying to say the least. At least this time, he had better company than a wraith. Teyla was currently helping their cellmate to drink some water. The poor guy had one arm chained up against the wall and it looked like his fingers had been broken to stop him from picking the locks.

"So what exactly happens now?" he asked their new friend.

The man chuckled slightly. "You mean other than a long death by jail sentence or a quick death by wraith?"

"We have seen many wraith in the city," said Teyla, "do you mean to say that your Government feeds them on prisoners?"

"It's not _my_ Government," the man retorted, "and the wraith you've seen are as much a victim as we're about to be." He sighed at their blank faces. "The Government made this pact with a wraith queen, oh, couple of hundred years ago now. She, or another of her ships, would stop by every few years and swap wraith prisoners on her hive in exchange for humans. Course, wraith aren't exactly servile, not normally anyway, so after we, that is the Guilds, rescued a good chunk of the wraith, the Government decided to lobotomise all the wraith they get."

Sheppard and Teyla exchanged a look. Things were starting to look even more messed up than they had looked initially. Their cellmate looked at them quizzically.

"You're a strange pair," he said bluntly. "Don't know about the Government, don't know about Arrangement. Where exactly have you been? Sticking your heads in the desert?"

"We come from," Teyla looked at John, "far away."

The man looked confused for a moment, and then his face broke into a huge grin.

"You're the other-worlders! The ones' that left! I always thought that Genik was pulling my leg."

"You know him?" asked Sheppard.

"Course, same Guild. I am - well, _was_– second-in-command of the Elites." He extended his free hand to them. "Chan Ackroyd, nice to meet you at last."

"John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan," introduced John. "So how'd you end up here?"

Chan sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I was a plain fool. Teaching some of the young 'uns, few with promise, the finer points of pick-pocketing. Forgot the most important rule, which is make sure no one's watching you don't want to."

"Least those kids will know better," joked Sheppard, making Chan laugh.

"Probably," he chuckled, "but it's still an embarrassing thing to get caught for, especially for such a skilled Elite as myself."

"And one that is not cocky in the slightest," said Teyla sarcastically.

"Miss Emmagan, if I wasn't good, I wouldn't have last five minutes. I was second to the Elite before Nerisha, but I've got no intention of taking over. Nish knows that and kept me where I was."

"Company," hissed Sheppard, as the sounds of approaching footsteps echoed through the prison. The three of them fell silent as the guards approached their cell. The man at the centre of the group looked out of place within the surrounding steel of the guards. His richly coloured, fur lined garments screamed wasted money.

"Chancellor Meterin," sneered Chan, "honouring us with your presence?"

"You will hold your tongue," snapped the man, "or I shall have it removed."

"Bit counter-productive, isn't it?" Chan asked, playing a game he was obviously well versed in. "If you cut out my tongue, I can't tell you "no" every time you ask me about the Guilds."

"Then I shall have one of the other criminals brought to your cell and you can watch as their tongue is removed," responded the Chancellor, his voice silky with menace. "One of the younger ones perhaps."

Chan fell into a sullen silence. Teyla was looking uneasy at the suggestion of torturing children to punish another. The Chancellor smiled at them and turned his eyes to Sheppard.

"This one," he ordered. "I want to know how they were able to leave this world without the consent of the Council."

Two of the guards entered the cell and advanced on Sheppard. One crashed to the ground as Teyla cracked the water bowl on his head. The second doubled over as Sheppard kicked him in the stomach. The other three guards entered into the cell and subdued them both with batons and the threat of knives. Sheppard looked across at Teyla from his position on the floor. One of the guards pulled her head up by her hair, and he felt another guard do the same to him, allowing the Chancellor to look into his face.

"Perhaps we shall talk when you are feeling more sociably then, " he said curtly, studying John's face for a few moments. With a nod to the guards, he swept out of the cell, his escorts leaving a few moments later.

Leaning against the cold wall, John winced at the various bruises he had received, but that appeared to be the sum total of his injures. Teyla looked like she'd got off lightly too. Chan was looking at him with a mixture of disapproval and mirth.

"Know any good games?" asked Chan.

* * *

**Please R&R. It's always appreciated.**

**Next chapter: Cloak and Dagger**


	9. Cloak and Dagger

**Chapter 9: Cloak and Dagger**

Rodney had told him what had happened. He'd be damned if he'd just left Sheppard and Teyla to be rescued by a wraith. His problem had been getting away. Nerisha had returned and got Genik up again. During all the explanations and planning, he'd slipped away to help his friends. He was sure the wraith was going to the same place that they had been taken, so all he had to do was follow the wraith as far as he needed and then rescue Sheppard and Teyla.

Tracking the wraith was proving harder than he expected it to be. He wasn't certain if he hadn't already lost the trail and gotten lost in the city. He slowed, and took in his surroundings. There was a sudden pull on his dreadlocks, forcing his head back, and the sharp prick of a knife against his throat.

"I do not like to be followed," hissed Siric into Ronon's ear. "What are you hoping to achieve?"

Ronon snarled, and twisted around to grab at the much smaller Siric. The wraith yelled as Ronon grabbed its right arm. It brought its knife back up, attempting to slash at his face, but Ronon used his grip on the wraith's arm to twists it around. Siric yelled out again in pain as Ronon pulled the blade out of the wraith's grip and held it against its throat.

"I'm going to get my friends back," Ronon hissed back at Siric, "and if you think you're going to stop me, you're dead wrong, wraith. You show me the way, or I kill you right now."

Ronon held the position for a few more moments before releasing Siric. The wraith stumbled away from him a few paces, then turned with a murderous gaze. The sight of Ronon's energy gun pointed directly at its face made it pause.

"If you insist," Siric hissed. Reluctantly, Ronon lowered his gun. He didn't trust the wraith, but it looked like he had little choice but to let it lead him to Sheppard and Teyla. Siric moved off down the street again, hugging close to the shadows of the buildings either side. He followed, intent on not loosing track of the wraith again. The route the wraith took dodged and twisted through the streets. Once or twice Ronon was sure he lost sight of the wraith but was quick to pick up the trail again. The light was beginning to fade when Siric finally stopped, in view of a ridged tower.

"Prisoners are kept below ground," said Siric. Ronon was about to march off towards the tower, but the withered hand of the wraith halted him. "If you go in guns blazing," hissed the wraith, "they will start killing those imprisoned within. Believe me, we've tried this before."

Ronon backed off, feeling more useless than before. If an attempt to rescue his friends resulted in others being killed, then Sheppard, and he, would not think it was worth the risk. He _had_to get John and Teyla out though! He turned, and noticed that the wraith had vanished. Ronon twisted, his eyes searching everywhere for a sign of his missing guide.

"Halt! What are you doing here?"

Ronon turned, seeing an armoured guard approaching him, hand going for his side arm. Ronon did the same. Neither got a shot off though, as Siric came from behind the guard. The man collapsed to the ground, as the wraith used the hem of it's cloak to clean the blade it had thrust into the unwitting guard.

"Your method would have ruined the uniform," Siric informed him. When Ronon didn't comment, it looked at him. "If you want to get inside, you will require a disguise. Here, you'll also need this."

Ronon caught the delicate golden ear clip with ease. It was just the same as the one he'd seen Genik put on earlier.

"What is it, some sort of radio?"

"If that is what you want to think of it," replied the wraith curtly. It was trying to remove the heavy coat of the guard without letting the blood from the death wound stain the collar. Ronon was unwilling to let the dead man be so manhandled by this wraith. Shoving Siric aside, he removed the outer armour and put it on. It felt wrong, but there seemed to be little choice. When the wraith looked at him expectantly, he put on the golden ear clip.

The sudden buzz of background chatter stunned him momentarily, before he heard two familiar voices amongst the throng.

_Nerisha is livid that you've gone._

_She always is._

_She's right though. What you are doing is suicidal._

_Hardly. I know what I'm doing, and besides, I've got help._

_You mean the wraith-hater? You do know he's listening in, and he thinks of you as "it"? I doubt his reliability._

Ronon made a conscious move to silence the voices. He stared back at Siric, who was looking at him with a crooked grin.

"Useful, aren't they?" said the wraith. "The technology is crude admittedly, and requires a wraith to work as a central connection, but it suits our purposes very well."

"Lets just get on," growled Ronon. Siric glowered slightly at the interruption, but nodded curtly and headed round the edge of the large plaza that separated the tower from the rest of the city. He realised that the wraith was leading him to some sort of guards entrance, when he noticed two uniformed men head in the same direction in plain view. Siric paused again and turned to him.

"This is the part where I have to trust you," said the wraith, staring him straight in the eye. "If I were alone, I'd probably locate another route in, but this will have to do."

Ronon watched as Siric took out what looked to be a pair of thick block-like cuffs from under his cloak. Carefully, he snapped one link around his healthy left wrist. Catching on, Ronon turned him around so his back was to him and took hold of the wraith's cuffed hands. He noticed that somehow the wraith had managed to slide his withered hand into the other cuff. Taking hold of his 'prisoner', Ronon marched him to the Guards entrance.

They passed through without any major difficulty. The other guards offered nods and praise to Ronon for his captured prize. Even though he knew he didn't know his way around, Ronon found he was heading through the softly lit, cool corridors as if he knew the exact lay-out of the place.

_That is because I am following you from the whisper-clip and Siric's tracking device,_said the gently voice of Jasieen in his mind. _I'm merely guiding you subconsciously, nothing to be concerned about. Just don't let the other guards see the clip._

There was no time to think of a response as a man flanked by another two guards came forward.

"These men will take it from here," the man remarked. Ronon was slightly unwilling to loose track of the wraith; he needed him to help him find Sheppard and Teyla. But if he refused, he would blow his cover as well. Reluctantly, he allowed the two guards to take Siric. One deliberately gripped Siric's injured arm forcefully, causing the wraith to yell out. This only spurred the guards on further. The other practically threw him to the ground before both dragged the wraith to his feet and down another corridor.

"I'd turn a blind eye," advised the man, watching as well. "The wraith make our lives a misery without being Guild scum to boot, but I think you already know what I mean. No need to be alarmed," he continued, accurately guessing the reason for Ronon's stony glower. "You're not the first Runner to join the Council's Guards. In fact, they make the best officers, I find. Commander Drazen Caltracka." He offered a hand to Ronon, who took it.

"Ronon Dex."

"A pleasure to have you at our side, Ronon Dex," replied commander Caltracka. His brows furrowed as he looked at something over Ronon's shoulder. "Looks like you caught your head when you chased down that Guild wraith scum."

Ronon automatically put his hand to the back of his head. Blood from the collar had transferred onto his dreadlocks, making it look like the blood came from him.

"Yeah, it's nothing though," replied Ronon, deciding to play along for now.

The commander looked at him critically. "Next time take the helmet you get issued. We loose more new recruits from preventable head injures than I care to count. Come, lets get you seen to."

As Ronon followed commander Caltracka, he felt Jasieen hovering in his consciousness. He half-wondered why.

_Because one, I've just lost communication with Siric,_ she replied, _which may well mean he's unconscious. And two, that man you are following is Nerisha's uncle. _

* * *

**My sincere apologies for the hiatus. Back on track now, and more soon. The end is near in sight....**

**Next chapter: Not Enough Time**


	10. Not Enough Time

**Chapter 10: Not enough time**

Rodney felt at a loose end. Ronon had run off to attempt to rescue John and Teyla, and he'd had to tell Nerisha that Siric had already done the same which seemed to make everyone tetchy. Right now, he was feeling alone and outnumbered. He sat on a bench in the Whisper-Master's lair, watching Jasieen as she did... whatever it was she was up to. Nerisha was pacing like an irate cat.

"Are you sure it's him?" she demanded, pausing momentarily in her prowling to glare at Jasieen. The young spy was wearing what looked to Rodney like a cross between a crown and a pair of golden-wrought headphones.

"Yes, Nerisha. He did state his name quite clearly." This comment sent Nerisha into another pacing frenzy.

"I don't get it," Rodney whispered to Jasieen. "Why's it so bad that the guy's her uncle?"

"Because he's the bleeding commander of the Guards and hates the Guilds, that's why!" snarled Nerisha. Jasieen offered Rodney a friendly smile.

"It's complicated," she said soothingly.

"Too right it is."

"Nerisha," said Jasieen, exasperated, "perhaps your energies would be better used aiding Genik? After all, if his plan is to work, you will be needed to talk the other Guild houses into it."

The irate thief stalked out of the room with a growl in her throat. Rodney let out the breath he'd been holding. "So..."

"You had better go with Nerisha," Jasieen suggested, placing the strange device back on her head. "Then you might actually learn something. At the very least, you can attempt to keep her in order."

Rodney looked to the door and then back to Jasieen. She was smiling in a way that he though to be cruel and vindictive. Left with no alternative, McKay followed Nerisha.

***

Chan had been giving Teyla a crash-course in lock-picking Obviously the guards hadn't been as thorough in their searching as they could have been..So far Teyla was onto her seventh lock-pick as she tried once more to release Chan, with Sheppard watching the corridor. He motioned quickly that someone was coming, giving Teyla enough time to hide the broken picks and scoot over to the opposite wall as John hurried back to his seat beside Chan.

The guard captain surveyed the scene in the cell, shaking his head as if to tell them that he was onto their scheming. Hw nodded to two guards behind him as he unlocked the cell. The pair dragged in a broken figure, dumping him along the same wall as Teyla rested against. Sheppard felt sudden recognition as the guards left. A glance to Teyla told him the he wasn't the only one who recognized one of the guards. But what the hell was Ronon doing playing soldier?!

"Hope you don't mind the new cell-mate," said the guard captain, locking the door again."We're starting to run out of room." And with that, they were gone.

They all remained frozen in place for a minute or two after the guards departure. Sheppard was still trying to work out what Ronon was up to. Was he planning to spring them? Was he alone, or were there others working with him? He noticed Teyla moving cautiously over to the fallen figure near her.

"Be careful," he warned, still keeping an eye on their new room mate. Whoever he was, it looked like the guards had done a real number on him as he hadn't moved since he'd been dumped down. She nodded her acknowledgment as she edged closer. John heard her give a startled gasp as she turned the figure over.

"Teyla, what-"

She didn't need to answer as she pulled the figure into a sitting position against the wall. White matted hair slightly caked in dried dark blood, as was his skin, and the unmistakable scarring on the right hand side of his face.

"Siric?!"

The wraith turned one piercing yellow eye on him before closing it again wit ha hiss. He seemed to be in real agony. There was a low whistle from Chan.

"So this is the elusive Siric? I always thought you'd be older."

Siric growled at him; Sheppard looked at Chan, non-plused. "You mean to say you didn't know him?"

"I've heard enough tales to know better," answered Chan. "They couldn't all be fabrications and exaggerations. I didn't expect him to be quite so young though."

There was another snarl from the wraith and John looked at Siric again. Without the shadow of the hooded robe he wore, the scarring didn't look as bad as it first appeared. Looking past those injuries, tricky though that was, and you could see that Siric really did look young, even by normal ageless wraith standards. He just never came across as a kid the way he acted all the time.

"You okay?" he asked as Siric hissed again in pain.

"I will live."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

The wraith attempted to snarl again but it was cut off by a yowl of pain as Teyla attempted to clean away some of the blood from his face. He lashed out at her, and Sheppard saw a rip in his shirt with a dark stain over his sternum. The sight sparked a pain in a scar on his own chest in the same spot.

"You were fed on?"

"Other way round," moaned Siric, settling back against the wall now Teyla was out of reach.

"You were given the Gift?" Sheppard saw Chan's eyes narrow in question and he merely mouthed 'long story' before asking, "So what's wrong?"

"You can't feed can you?" interjected Chan. "Of course that's it!"

"What is?" asked Teyla.

"The Government use some of their wraith to acquire information, with me so far?"

"You mean torture."

"Same difference. But the thing is, they can either use the wraith as the instrument of torture or to extend the punishment, give 'em more time to break a person."

Sheppard looked back to Siric. He was leaning back into the wall, eyes closed in obvious agony. John followed the flow of the wraith's scarring to his withered hand. His feeding hand. And then it clicked. Sometimes he wished Carson was around, because the Scottish doctor would probably have reached the right conclusion much quicker than he did. The wraith's injures prevented him from feeding so maybe his body had learned to cope without. The Gift of Life though must have triggered something in the wraith to switch his body's desired food requirements. A memory from his recent past floated to the surface of his mind.

"_For wraith, hunger burns like a fire. Tell me Sheppard, if you found yourself burning alive would you settle for just one drop of water or would you take more?"_

Right now, it looked like Siric would settle for Niagara Falls and anything else he could get his hands on. There'd be time enough to deal with that later though.

"Look," he said, "I know you're probably not feeling your best right now, but we need to get outta here. Can you pick locks?"

***

Rodney sifted uneasily standing by Nerisha's side. He was starting to feel like that guy in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, you know, the one that forgot the password out and ended up being killed when the thieves came back and found him in their lair? He'd read the book once when he was bored but hadn't finished it.

Right now, Nerisha was negotiating with members from the other Guilds in the city, trying to convince them to help in a joint attack on a part of the city. Each of the leaders wore a different coloured robe, which he supposed symbolised the different Guilds. Okay, he didn't think that, Jasieen had told him that, thanks to this strange telepathic amplification device that he'd been given. He'd have to take one back to Atlantis and find out how it worked. A man in a dark red robe to Nerisha's left suddenly spoke up.

"Nerisha, siht gninnalp uoy era yhw?"

Rodney didn't have time to be confused as Nerisha replied in an equally garbled tongue, "Noitcartsid a deen ew tub denosirpmi esoht eucser ot nalp a evah ew."

There was that familiar buzzing in the back of his head that told him Jasieen wanted to talk to him. What could she possible want now?

"_I just thought you would appreciate an explanation. Nerisha and the others are merely attempting to keep the real reasoning behind the attack on the Lower city a secret,"_ she informed Rodney politely. _"It is unclear exactly how many or even who is in the pay of the Government and will report this back to them."_

Now he was confused. He thought they wanted the government people to know about the attack so that the place where they were holding the prisoners wouldn't be so heavily guarded. Wasn't that the point of organizing a distraction?

"_Yes, but we would rather that they did not know that this is a distraction. That defeats the purpose of a distraction."_

Feeling slightly ridiculous that a nineteen year old girl was having to point out the basics in creating a distraction when he was far older and probably more experienced than her, (at least that's what he believed) , Rodney returned his attention to Nerisha's nonsensical conversation. He really hoped they could pull this off and rescue Sheppard and Teyla.

"_We will, Dr McKay. We will…"_

**Please R&R, this story's nearly done!**

**Next chapter: Into the Lion's Den**

* * *


	11. Into the Lion's Den

**Chapter 11: Into the Lion's Den**

"Take a seat. Refreshment?"

Ronon shook his head as he sat down in the guards rec-room. There were one or two others there, who had immediately tidied the place up as their superior officer entered. He was a good man, Ronon judged. He had let on that he was not happy with the idea of imprisoning so many children, but they were criminals and Ronon found he couldn't sympathise with the hard eyed children they had seen on their tour of the lower levels. The interrogation rooms had been the most unpleasant. He'd seen a young woman being fed on and then having it forced back into her, her questioner continuing to asked her the same question over and over.

And that was when he saw Chancellor Meterin. The man was watching with delight at the torture of Siric. He'd seemed very pleased with the capture of a spy, though whether he knew who Siric really was yet Ronon wasn't sure. One good thing had come out of the incident though; he now knew that Sheppard and Teyla were alive and where they were.

"Something troubling you Ronon?" asked Commander Caltracka.

"Nah, I'm cool," replied Ronon, settling back.

"So tell me more about your homeworld," continued Caltracka. "I'd love to have more like you by my side."

Ronon thought back to his recent return to his homeworld, the destruction he had seen. He was loosing hope that any of his people had escaped the wraith.

The sound of a siren blared through the room, startling them.

"I knew it was too quiet," growled Caltracka. "Dex, I want you to find Captain Nerak and inform him we've got trouble. You two, with me!" Grabbing weapons that looked suspiciously Genii-like in origin, the commander and the other guards in the room ran out. Ronon saw his chance and took it, heading for the Sheppard and Teyla.

***

Siric was much better at the locks than Teyla had been, though whether it was a lack of skill or just tiredness, he hadn't been able to open the cell after releasing Chan. The four of them were working out an escape plan. Well, he was trying to with Teyla's help, but the two Guild-members seemed reluctant to.

"Have you two got a better idea?"

"Your plan relies too much on coincidence and luck," snarled Siric. The wraith was only getting more tetchy the longer they waited in the cell.

"If we wait," reasoned Teyla, "Ronon will no doubt come to our rescue."

"Would this be the same Ronon Dex that is the new member of the guards by any chance?" drawled Chancellor Meterin. "I knew there was something about the oaf I didn't like. He had the reek of Guild scum about him."

They backed away from the cell door as it was opened and the Chancellor came in. He looked over them all. "Pathetic," he spat. "Nothing more than third rate amateurs, worse! Common criminals! Your kind are not even worth the effort of housing. But, the deal must go through."

As he gloated to them, his attention on Sheppard, Teyla and Chan, Siric used the wall as an aid to stand up. The guards did nothing, they couldn't. At least, not with a tall and armed Satedan pointing a gun at them and ordering for silence. The young spy-master took a strange vial from the lining of his shirt and threw it at the Chancellor. The man turned in time for the vial to smash on his chest. In the damp air of the cell, thin creeper-like tendrils snaked and grew on his chest. Panicked, the Chancellor tried to bat them away, but on contact with his flesh, the creepers clung and grew all the more vigorously. In the shocked silence, the creepers began to engulf the man; where they touched his skin, they withered it away to dried skin and bone.

"Only you," croaked Chan as the ex-chancellor fell to the ground in his death throes, "would carry wither-vine as a weapon. You're more dangerous than I ever would have believed…"

"Time to be going," said Sheppard as the vines started to sluggishly explore the floor of the cell, its initial prey consumed. Edging carefully around it, the former prisoners headed for the cell door. The guards had now fled. "Which way?" he asked Ronon.

"This way," he replied, taking point. They followed after him as quickly as they could. Sheppard was sure Chan use the word 'suicidal' and Siric growling back at him as they moved, but he was otherwise distracted. Up ahead, was the sound of fighting.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Sheppard as they came across a battle scene. People dressed in black were fighting the guards, while other prisoners did their best to keep away from the fighting. He could only watch as the group in black systematically disarmed, decapitated or took out any and all in their way. One spotted their group and thrust John's P-90 into his hands and did the same to Teyla.

"Don't just stand about gawping," ordered Genik, a dark mask obscuring the lower half of his face. "Clear a path and get the prisoners out."

Sheppard looked to the liberated prisoners. Many looked to be under eighteen. A glance to Teyla confirmed his decision.

"Chan, Ronon, lead us out. We'll give you cover fire."

The thief nodded and started to hurry up one of the corridors, Ronon close on his heels. Teyla followed a few moments later, while Sheppard waited to direct the others on and guard the rear. The Fatals followed close behind as well.

"Where's Siric?" Genik asked when he got close.

"He's right-" He looked back. "He was right here a moment ago!"

"I haven't seen him at all."

"That is because you don't look correctly," snapped the wraith in question, appearing out of nowhere. Sheppard opened his mouth to ask where the heck the wraith had been, but a piercing yellow glare reminded him of the man he had killed only a few minutes ago. John let the question drop and continued to provide support and backup to their escape.

***

There were a lot of reunions taking place. Not everyone who had been a prisoner had been members of the same Guild. In the streets on the way back to the Guild of the Ancestors Gate, groups would break off, often with a Fatal or person in a coloured cloak, and vanish away into the oncoming night.

"Quite a time you've had, Sheppy," said Nerisha to him as they walked. She was sporting a new cut over her left eyebrow but she seemed all the more jubilant for the fighting. "Not many would have caused such a palaver on - what is this now? You up to two days yet in the Guild? Or is it three now, I've lost count."

"It's not that we're not grateful or anything," started Sheppard uneasily.

"We had no intention of remaining here. There will be a transport along soon to return us home," finished Teyla.

"In one of your sky ships?" piped up Chiss from beside Ronon's elbow. Her eyes looked apologetically over her face mask as the three faction leaders glared at her. "Oopsie."

Sheppard looked accusatorially at Rodney, who looked only mildly battered. "Rodney..."

"What? Jasieen was in my head for crying out loud! I didn't tell them on purpose!"

"So how long you got before then?" asked Genik pleasantly.

"Day, at most," answered Ronon.

"Long enough for a party then..."

* * *

**Please R&R. You know you want to...**

***returns to the Guild party***


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Loose ends and Paperwork**

Dr Weir looked up as Sheppard entered her office.

"John," she said warmly. "Nice to have you back on Atlantis."

"Nice to be back," was the reply as Sheppard settled himself in a seat.

"I take it your mission was successful?"

"Well it wasn't so much of a mission per say..."

"I don't remember authorising a three day holiday for you and your team," said Weir with a smile. John chuckled.

"I'd hardly have called it a holiday."

"Indeed, I've got my chief science officer in the infirmary, not to mention you and Teyla were pretty banged up as well."

"Got some new intel on wraith though," John said for his defence.

"I've been looking over it. I still don't understand why the wraith you wrote about in your report were so..."

"Friendly?"

"Exactly." There was a silence for a few minutes.

"You did read about Siric as well right?"

"I took that as typical teenage behaviour. Not sure the species matters in this instance," said Weir. "Weren't you ever anti-social as an adolescent, Sheppard?"

Sheppard shrugged and grinned as way of a reply. Weir shook her head as she looked back down at the various reports from the teams.

"One thing still bothers me," she told him. "Why did you have Caldwell locate and provide a DHD for M3X-445?"

"Power to the people," replied Sheppard. "And I had a promise to keep. Least now some of the people that were taken slave can go back home."

"You never thought that may have been the reason it was taken in the first place?" asked Weir. "To stop the inhabitants from leaving?"

"Yeah, I do. But at least now," he reasoned, "we've got a few new friends."

"And some new enemies?" added Weir

"Helps keep life interesting."

Elizabeth shook her head and chuckled again. "Perhaps it does. For now though. I want you and your team back out as soon as possible. There's still a lot of galaxy out there."

With a nod, Sheppard stood and left her office, allowing the leader of Atlantis to return to her paperwork.

FIN

* * *

***phew* That's it folks. The end. **

**However, it might not be. After all, I've got quite attached to some of these characters, so yet-another sequel to get on with writing. Possibly. If you want me to...**

**Till next time.**


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